"A spoon of gravel" I love it.

Wetspirit

 

RoadDawg - I got them from Big10 tire here in Montgomery, AL. I've found my best negotiations came when I was being honest, and the guy I was dealing with was honest as well. I first asked him if he could mount tires that I bought from tire rack. He said he could. I told him the price I was going to pay from tire rack was X amount. If he could sell/balance/mount me the same tires for $750, then I'd just let him have all the business.

His response was, tap ta tap tap tap (on the computer) ... OK, I'll do it, he said. I didn't feel the need to try to edit him down even more, the deal was honest, and from calling other dealers previous to this exchange I knew he was taking a small hit on his price for the tires, or the install labor or somewhere. So, I made my deal. The final price was $749 and some change.

Great guy to deal with.

As for the "load range E or nothing," I'll slightly revise my 1st reply because I'm no tire expert. If load range D with bigger tires are going to give you the same load rating as load range E with slightly smaller tires, then I don't see any problem with those D's.

- JyRO

 

So I guess Im stupid. What is the difference in service description 121/118R and a 117T

 

its a friday..everyone needs some entertainment

 

Who did you speak to at big 10. I have purchased alot of tires from them folks

 

GOOGLE is the answer to all questions....
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...currentpage=55

The first two digits (87S) represent the tire's load index and are followed by a single letter (87S) identifying the tire's speed rating.


http://www.yokohamatire.com/utspeed.asp
Service Description
Many tires come with a service description added on to the end of the tire's size. These service descriptions contain a two-digit number (load index) and a letter (speed rating). The load index is a representation of the maximum load each tire is designed to support. Because the maximum tire load capacity is branded on the tire's sidewall, the load index is used as a quick reference.

 

That right there is a wise thing.

I never believed it with tires until I had a good shop give me free rotations- they took care of me, my tires and once they knew who I was and what I was doing with my truck they were even better.

They would get me in and out in under 30 minutes, often less. They learned my pressure preferences, and did'nt hammer my aftermarket rims.

To balance this out my next set came with my new truck and the shop that did the rotations did'nt even torque one wheel. In 15 miles I lost one lug nut and another was on its way.

Free or not I won't go back there. The first shop I totally trusted. I watched them do their work and they stuck to a bulletproof system that avoided mistakes.



FWIW

 

the different load ranges C D E F G in our LT tires are based on ply concept by the manufactors. So there is no way the ply rating concept can be forgoten. Dodge recommends the "E" , 10 ply rated sidewall for a reason. And that was for carring heavy loads. As some say they don't carry heavy loads then the "D" 8 ply rated sidewall tire may work. Sure all our highway LT tires have two sidewall plys but lets tell all the story. The 10 ply rated sidewall tire "E" has thicker/heavier sidewall plys than the thinner sidewall plys in the "D" 8 ply rated tire. Our older LT tires actually had 10 very thin ply and ran very hot carring heavy loads. Also load capacity is a poor indicator of the correct tire for the truck. One poster had a 3500 SRW with a 3450 load capacity tire, BUT it was a "C" rated 6 ply rated sidewall @ 50 psi. He towed a 37' toy hauler and complaning of to much side sway. If your haulin heavy and need good stability you need to stick with the "E" load range tire. If you derate your load range by using a lesser ply rated tire be sure and let folks know that may use the truck.

JIM

 

Just get the REVOs they come in E and you'll EFIN LOVE 'EM
They should run around 800 (for 4).
Get them at Discount tire, or a Firestone store.

 

i got the bf goodrich rugged trails from discount tire for 156 each out the door

in a 10 ply e rated, the new load index on an e rated tire will be 125

i have seen the d rated tires come apart under the weight of the cummins

you may not be towing anything but your engine outweighs nearly every engine in any truck anywhere,

wetspirit,

where did you come up with the theory that a 10 ply tire only has 2 plys?

if you have ever felt the difference in the sidewalls from a 2 ply to a 10 ply tire you will see what the difference is, the thickness and rigidity in a 10 ply tire far exceeds anything in a lesser ply, most 10 ply e rated tires are rated to 80 psi, put 80 psi in a 2 ply tire and load it up with 3500 pounds and see how far you get, most 6 ply tires are only rated to 50 psi, some larger d rated tires can carry the same load as an e rated tire but when you start stressing the sidewalls you will see their drawbacks, IE 60 mph around a mountain curve, your sidewall will flex and fail sooner than mine


if you could get away with d rated tires on a 2500 or 3500 cummins safely DC would be putting them on at the factory, they would save tons of cash
every year with the cheaper tires

 

Rockhound,

I came up with my "theory" about 2 ply tires by reading the side of the stock Load Range E tires that came on my Dodge, as well as many other tires over the years. In fact every set of tires I have bought for as long as I can remember and for every vehicle. The BFG tires that came on the Dodge say in clear English, sidewall 2 ply polyester, tread 2 ply polyester with 3 ply polyester belt. This is the way most modern radial tires are made and the belts are the variable (steel, Kevlar, etc.) They are made with 2 ply sidewalls.

I know the rating is D or E or whatever but the design is the same. That's why the manufacturer uses the term RATED. It means they are as strong as, but really aren't 10 ply or 8 ply or whatever. They have to say 10 ply rated because they are not actually 10 ply. Of course the plys are stronger in the heavier rated tire but there is the same number of them. Go read the side of your own tires and see what they say.

My only point in bringing this up is that there is a lot of misunderstanding about this issue and it makes more sense to discuss the load rating than the number of plys. Why debate about 10 ply vs 8 ply when all of them are really 2 ply? Just go by the load rating. I didn't say they were the same strength, I said they were the same number of plys, 2.

Wetspirit

 

Because 10 ply IS a rating. Just as is 8 ply. Its a good means to use if numbers don't do it for your memory. The ply ratings specifically describe a load capacity and an 8 ply rating can never mean an E rated tire.
The use of ply numbers is a neat hold over from the day when a truck tire that could hold ______lbs really had to have ten plys. But in the end a 10 ply tire IS an E tire, capacity determined by size. So the 10 ply rating is pretty important in describing the strength of the sidewalls until that day in the far future when we can let go of ply ratings and just do the letters.
I could be wrong, but I believe that HEAT plays a big role in why a big D rated tire that has the same load capacity of a smaller E rated tire is not really what is recommended for our trucks. The big D rated tire is going to run a lot hotter than its smaller E rated friend, even though the load capacity is essentially the same for each. The smaller tire is pumped up to 80lbs, its D big brother 60lbs. One is a lot harder/stiffer/cooler than the other.

 

Not trying to Hijack but...

Hohn, who online sells Toyo M55's? I've been interested in Nitto Terra Grapplers and Toyo M55's for sometime but can't really find anyone that carries them.

RoadDawg, on the subject of plys and load ranges my old gasser dodge had load range D tire LTX's on it when i first bought it as the second owner and I took it for tires when those were worn out and some how got "C's" on it and it handled like crap when towing or empty. I for got what my gasser 2500 required for a tire but i think it was D's. I personally would go with nothing less than an "E" rated tire for a diesel just because it is heavy and from my previous experience with a lesser rated tire. But thats just my $0.02. I see you are from the Destin area, my grandfather lives over in Santa Rosa Beach in Walton County off 393, that area is one of my favorite places in Florida to go visit. I love going to the beach there and going to the docks and seafood places in destin!

 

In my experience, the E rated tires have worn better/lasted longer than the Ds. I have sometimes hauled very heavy loads, medium loads, and even a bunch of lightly loaded or empty "in town" miles.

 

I went to firestone in fort Walton got a good set for 519 out the door,
this was the best deal I found , from Navarre to destin